New Churches Podcast

Episode 804 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham return for another episode with pastor, planter, and leadership expert Dr. Crawford Loritts. Tune in to discover what you can gain through the guidance of those who have gone before you on this church planting journey. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The wisdom to be found in healthy biblical community What to look for in your next mentoring relationship How to establish healthy boundaries and expectations for both the mentor and the mentee Why you should consider making 2 Timothy your next book for personal study The three kinds of people every church planter needs in his life! Helpful Resources: Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): There are two ways to learn how to do your job: there’s humility, and there’s hardship. You can either humble yourself and listen to some people further down the road than you, or you can face the hardship of bad decisions. – Vance Pitman You influence, but you don’t control. You never want to get in a relationship where a mentor doesn’t know the difference between appropriate authority and a domineering relationship. – Dr. Crawford Loritts Your twenties and thirties are a season of learning. I’m not saying that God’s not using you in very significant ways, but you’re learning who you are and who you’re not. – Dr. Crawford Loritts The difference between a trend and a fad is that which is enduring. – Dr. Crawford Loritts There’d be no Paul without Barnabas, and yet we are looking for “the name guys.” A lot of times, it’s the unnamed heroes that you’re talking about. – Vance Pitman When the heat gets turned up, things get a little hot, and adversity comes, there’s a tendency to run, shift, change your environment. The problem is there is no such thing as character apart from endurance. The fuel that you need is found in what you don’t like. – Dr. Crawford Loritts The post Good Mentoring Relationships appeared first on New Churches.

Delve into fearless and expectant prayer with insights on John 15:7. Explore the role of prayer in church planting, patience, and the power of a prayer journal. Hear about the simplicity of prayer, the essence of petitionary prayer, and the importance of trust and obedience in prayer lives.

Episode 802 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham spend some time with pastor, planter, and leadership expert Dr. Crawford Loritts to examine the impact of aligning today’s current events with Scripture’s eternal truth. Here’s how you can honor God from the pulpit as you leverage your platform for the sake of the gospel made known. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The key difference between reacting harshly and responding effectively to the happenings around you The significance of pursuing biblical consistency in a hectic, inconsistent world How to walk into an election year well—from the sanctuary pulpit to your social media platform What the Bible specifically says about our modern-day preaching context Why humility and integrity must mark your every move as a leader in the church Helpful Resources: Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): Humility is not a lack of courage. We need to denounce sin, but whenever we denounce it, there ought to be a tear in our eyes. – Dr. Crawford Loritts Let’s not rush to judgment, but at the same time and in the name of Jesus, let’s weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn. – Dr. Crawford Loritts This is not about politics, who has the last say, or who’s getting the most likes, clicks, and followers. It’s about humility, giving an appropriate word, and positioning the gospel. – Dr. Crawford Loritts You have got to be careful to not define “righteous indignation” as vomiting all the truth you know and beating people up with the Bible. You’ve got to represent the heart of the Savior. – Dr. Crawford Loritts Your character and godliness have to be greater than the platform you stand on or the issue you’re addressing. – Dr. Crawford Loritts You’re not trying to be cute or relevant. You’re trying to help your people think distinctively and biblically as kingdom people in light of the issues occurring right now. Preaching is a discipleship deal. – Dr. Crawford Loritts The post Preaching and Current Events appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 801 Host Tony Merida spends time with Jeff Medders to discuss the life and legacy of Charles Spurgeon not only as a pastor and preacher, but as a dedicated church planter, too. From his intentionality as a leader to his vision casting as a church revitalizer, Spurgeon has much to teach planters today about faithfully living on mission, no matter the context in which you lead. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Spurgeon’s most taught from book of the Bible What it looked like for his church members to “live sent” Greater insight into Spurgeon’s leadership pipeline Ways the great preacher emphasized Christ from the platform and in his personal life How Spurgeon’s sorrows impacted his life and faith Helpful Resources: Geoffrey Chang’s Spurgeon the Pastor Arnold A Dallimore’s Spurgeon: A Biography Zack Eswine’s Spurgeon’s Sorrows John Theodore Mueller’s Great Heroes of the Faith Charles Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students Charles Spurgeon’s C.H. Spurgeon Autobiography Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): Spurgeon was called “the prince of preachers,” and I think we could also call him “the powerhouse of church planting.” — Jeff Medders Spurgeon didn’t just allow his name and funds to be leveraged for church planting. He was personally investing, teaching, and mentoring young men at his house. — Jeff Medders You may go from being a church planter one day, but the church-planter mindset probably never leaves. — Jeff Medders Christ was the gravitational center of everything Spurgeon taught. He called and proclaimed Jesus either through evangelism or edification, and I think that is for church planters today. — Jeff Medders When you find yourself discouraged or depressed, or when you’re dealing with sickness in your family; whatever it is, it’s not new. The Lord throughout history has used weak saints by His grace to build up the body of Christ. — Tony Merida The post What Church Planters Can Learn from Spurgeon appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 800 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham team back up with pastor and planter Ray Ortlund to share the internal and external measures you can take as a church planter to keep your leadership and ministry healthy and guarded from harm. Discover the personal and theological safeguards you can set in place to protect the calling God has placed upon you and your church. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The significance of personal and relational transparency How to combat isolation and pursue Christ’s freedom through fellowship Why online precautions are essential in the digital age How to establish accountability for the longevity of your ministry How to invest in the community God has given you, from the pulpit to the small-group meeting space Helpful Resources: Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): Walking in the light is not sinless perfection. It’s where we confess sin and experience cleansing. — Ray Ortlund We come together with an advocacy, a solidarity, a cohesion, and a tenderness that’s unmatched in all this world; that’s real Christianity. — Ray Ortlund We could wake up one day in a place we never thought we’d be because we lack that level of honest transparency in our lives.  — Vance Pitman We can’t improve on the gospel, and the gospel’s not going to be better than it is right now, five minutes from now. So, let’s just jump into the gospel God gave us and go deep, not only holding onto the gospel but exploring it boldly. — Ray Ortlund The desire for proper accountability and safeguards is powerful evidence of God’s grace. — Ray Ortlund Where in the New Testament do we see Jesus or the apostles saying, “Go it alone”? — Ray Ortlund The post Ministry Safeguards appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 799 Host Ed Stetzer chats with his colleague Craig Hazen, the Founder and Director of Christian Apologetics at the Talbot School of Theology. Together, they discuss the impact of apologetics within the church-planting sphere and how this study and practice grants us confidence to move forward in our missional calling to share the peace of Christ’s truth with the world. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How to demystify apologetics for both yourself and your congregation Ways to move from evangelism to apologetics as you minister to others Why the college campus is a great place for this study and practice How you can meet people where they are with the truth of Christ, no matter their starting point with the gospel The role of joy within your apologetics engagement! Helpful Resources: Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): Offer reasons for your faith and why it is you put your trust in Jesus. Apologetics is the ministry of helping people answer their questions. — Craig Hazen Apologetics is going to become more and more important as the culture becomes more and more secular. — Ed Stetzer We still make strong arguments, but we try to do so with gentleness and respect. The one thing that really juices up the gentleness and respect is having a deep knowledge of the subject. — Craig Hazen Argumentation means different things to different people, but persuasive apologetics in the public sphere and in relationships is essential today. — Ed Stetzer I’m much more sensitive to the Holy Spirit when I’m not working out of anxiety as I’m witnessing to a person. — Craig Hazen The challenge is that a lot of people are just not safe conversation partners with spiritually questioning people. — Ed Stetzer The post The Role of Apologetics in Church Planting appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 798 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham share an encouraging word with Ray Ortlund, the author, pastor, and founder of Immanuel Nashville. Together, they discuss the significance of forming Christ-exalting personal habits within the earliest days of ministry. Tune in to discover how you can create safeguards for the long-term health of your ministry as well as your own personal spiritual walk with Christ. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: What sets church planting apart from other vocations The tried-and-true basics of spiritual discipline within the Christian faith Why your understanding of prayer may need some recalibration The role of confession within the church today Why theological accountability and alignment matter in your ministry from day one Helpful Resources: Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): There’s a lack of theological accountability in the world we live in today because denominations were the buttresses of theological accountability. — Vance Pitman How can you preach a crucified Savior with personal, showoff-y, “Look at me. I’m so cool” kind of preaching persona? It doesn’t fit. — Ray Ortlund The Holy Spirit entered into Paul’s ministry and created converts, not because they were impressed by him, but because they were enthralled by Jesus. Now that’s church planting like an apostolic work. — Ray Ortlund Dear brother, to whom do you confess your sins? The answer cannot be nobody or “I only confess my sins to God.” There’s a reason James 5:16 is in the Bible. — Ray Ortlund I don’t use the word “accountability” because I’ve seen it used in a coercive way, but “transparency” is mutual. I don’t believe we can go too far wrong if we’re living in transparency and in honest brotherhood together. — Ray Ortlund We can face anything if we will walk with God. And if we don’t have a real, honest, moment-by-moment walk with the Lord and we’re just great at church planting, that is total failure, brilliantly disguised as massive success. — Ray Ortlund The post Disciplines to Start in Early Ministry appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 797 Host Tony Merida meets with Jeff Medders, the Director of Theology and Content at SEND Network, to discuss the significance of the resurrection in our daily lives as believers, as well its power in the weekly rhythms of our churches. Tune in to discover how emphasizing the resurrection empowers us to live boldly on mission for the gospel. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How the resurrection remains applicable to every church in every context The gospel’s implications for our daily lives, here and now How to combat cultural desensitization toward the cross The reason you can navigate your doubts with assurance as you look to the empty tomb Why your sermons about the resurrection are not just for Easter Sunday! Helpful Resources: Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): Jesus has risen from the dead, and therefore everything changes. No matter your context, the risen Christ is the lean-in factor of Christianity. — Jeff Medders The crucifixion and resurrection go together, but oftentimes, at least in my observation and experience, there’s been a deemphasis on the resurrection. — Tony Merida If you don’t believe in the resurrection, you’re not a Christian. So, let’s advocate for more resurrection. I want people to walk out of our churches going, “This guy believes Jesus is alive.” It changes everything. — Jeff Medders Whatever labor you’re doing for the cause of the kingdom is not in vain. Nothing done in Jesus’ name is in vain because the tomb is empty. This fuses my everyday ministry with purpose and meaning and keeps me from despair as I preach the resurrection. — Tony Merida The entire New Testament only came to be because Jesus rose again from the dead. The entire ecosystem of Christianity is a resurrection atmosphere. — Jeff Medders The resurrection is not just a truth we die on, but it’s a truth we live on. — Tony Merida The post Preaching the Resurrection appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 796 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham share insight into one of the most difficult aspects of planting a church in North America today: establishing sustainable patterns of rest. Here’s what you can add and subtract to your life in ministry in order to live in the rest Christ has prepared for you. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How a reboot and reset could revive you in your ministry calling What apostolic wiring has to do with your missionary zeal Why accountability is essential for biblical sabbath How rest can positively impact your church’s leadership pipeline Why creating space for interruption leads to greater ministry opportunity Helpful Resources: Vance’s book: The Stressless Life Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): We have limits, and God made us spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional beings. If we don’t care for ourselves in those areas and establish a balance between work and rest, we’re going to make some major mistakes. — Vance Pitman We tend to have in our minds that Jesus demands we work hard, be diligent, and exhaust ourselves. There is an element of truth in that, but at the same time, there’s a balancing tension of spiritual obedience. — Vance Pitman It is not unspiritual to pull away from the demands of ministry to rest. As a matter of fact, it’s unspiritual not to in ministry. — Vance Pitman The primary calling of my life is not ministry; it’s intimacy. Ministry is what He does out of the overflow of intimacy. If you look at the life of Jesus in the Gospels, Jesus is constantly interrupted and never in a hurry. — Vance Pitman Muscle only grows when you rest it and fuel it. Church planting is the same way. You have to rest to see the growth happen. — Noah Oldham The philosophy of much of North American church planting is the superstar, lone-ranger, high-capacity planter, but the philosophy of the New Testament is teamwork. — Vance Pitman The post Creating Rhythms of Rest appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 795 Host Ed Stetzer meets with church planters Adam Muhtaseb and Richard Pope to discuss their best practices when it comes to facing hardship while leading a new church plant. Here’s why rest, repentance, and reliance on God and His people are essential for planters as they seek to lead others to Christ’s truth amidst life’s greatest difficulties. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Ways to impactfully communicate hardship to your congregation The power of simple gospel prayer within biblical community Why sabbath is essential for church planters today The role God’s sovereignty plays into your calling as a leader in the church How God can use all things—even terminal diagnoses—for the furtherance of His gospel to the world Helpful Resources: Richard Pope’s podcast: Terminal: The Dying Church Planter Kerry and Chris Shook’s book: One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): Successful church planting is a series of successfully resolved crises because there’s always a crisis and something that’s falling apart. — Ed Stetzer Embrace strategic failure, knowing that God is still working when you can’t crush it this week. Once I recognized and got to a place of peace with that, it enabled me to rest and sabbath a little bit more. — Adam Muhtaseb Suffering gives us a weird opportunity to show grace, love, kindness, and mercy. When you show and allow people into your suffering, keeping the gospel forefront, it’s a teaching moment for your church. — Richard Pope God can do more in six days than you can do in seven, and He wants you to do six. — Adam Muhtaseb Obedience and faithfulness to the Lord is always more fruitful than doing things our way. — Richard Pope The post Church Planting in the Face of Personal Challenges appeared first on New Churches.